Lukaku: Zero mistakes needed against Spain, Belgium determined to break defensive myth
According to overseas media reports, Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku admitted at the pre-match press conference that if they want to eliminate Spain and advance to the semi-finals, the "Red Devils" must deliver a near-flawless performance in Friday's quarter-final. If successful, they would equal the record of reaching the World Cup semi-finals twice in the team's history, in 1986 and 2018 — Lukaku represented the team in the 2018 semi-final but lost 0-1 to eventual champions France.
However, the Spain side standing in their way has yet to concede a goal in this tournament. The winner of this match will face France in the semi-finals. Lukaku emphasized at Thursday's press conference: "Tomorrow we have to play a game with zero mistakes. This is one of the crucial matches to move forward. Spain are strong, and their philosophy has remained the same since 2008, with very distinct characteristics. They are good at finding the third man, and their wide attacks are very fast. Ferran Torres provides depth, but we are prepared and we also have some advantages to cause them problems. It's definitely a huge challenge."
Lukaku has regained his form in this World Cup. He recalled that in April this year, Belgian head coach Rudi Garcia told him his role would change — to become an impact substitute. This change has paid off. Lukaku has already scored three goals, including a crucial equalizer after the team fell 0-2 behind against Senegal in the round of 32. "I never care about personal statistics, I only think about the team," Lukaku said. "That has been my motivation over the past few years, and I think I've done quite well because I always put the team before myself." He added: "I have some kind of power from above protecting me and this team. Everything is going well. We will continue this momentum. The team's mindset is very good. We are fully prepared physically, mentally and tactically, ready for the challenge."
Garcia believes Spain are still one of the best possession-based teams in the world, but he also praised the "La Roja's" defensive record of keeping a clean sheet throughout the tournament so far. However, he believes Belgium can end that streak. "Statistics are meant to be broken, and that's exactly what we want to do tomorrow," Garcia said. "We will do everything to score in the quarter-final. We need to take our fate into our own hands. Otherwise, we'll have to go home. That's not what we want." Garcia noted that Belgium are the second-highest scoring team in this World Cup, while their opponents have the highest expected goals. But he seems to enjoy the role of "underdogs." "Everyone says we should go home, but we believe we can do it," Garcia said. "We believe we can build on this and we will give everything to reach the semi-finals."